1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a network scan system and a method of constructing the same, and more particularly, to a network scan system constructed by installing a Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) server module into a computer accessing a network scanner, such that the network scanner can communicate with the computer through a firewall, which is installed where the computer is installed, and exchange data with the computer, and a method of configuring the network scan system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a scanner or a multi-functional apparatus, which has functions of a scanner, a printer, a copy machine, and a facsimile, can be connected to a plurality of computers via a network. Conventionally, a network scan system is configured by additionally installing a data storage server in a scanner. Such a network scanner is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,223.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional network scan system. The conventional network scan system of FIG. 1 is constructed by connecting a predetermined server 300 to a scanner 100 and forming a network by allowing the server 100 to access a computer 200. Although FIG. 1 illustrates that the computer 200 is connected to the scanner 100 via the server 300, the number of computers and scanners is not limited in the conventional network scan system. That is, a plurality of computers can be connected to a plurality of scanners. If users register user accounts with the server 300, an available user list is registered with the server 300.
When a user desires to scan a document, the user must go to the scanner 100 and log in using a registered user identification (ID). After scanning the document, scanned data is stored in the user account of the user registered with the server 300. Then, the user accesses the server 300 using the computer 200, detects the scanned data from the server 300, copies it to the computer 200, and completes scanning.
However, it is inconvenient for the user to perform a scan job as described above. Since the scanner 100 is shared by several users, the user must go to the scanner 100 to determine whether the scanner 100 is available. If the scanner 100 is in use, the user must wait until a scan job is completed or go back to the scanner 100 after the scan job is completed. Also, the user has to access the server 300 again using the computer 200 after a scan job. Furthermore, a network scan system using a server as an additional storage device is expensive to implement.
Meanwhile, since much attention has been paid to security, firewalls are installed in most networks that require basic security. A firewall is a series of related programs that protect sources of a private network from other network users, installed in a network gate server.
In general, a firewall is not installed between a computer and a scanner in an office, but it may be installed on a computer spaced a predetermined distance apart from a scanner. In the case of a network in which a firewall is installed, the firewall would not permit external access to the network except through a specific port, e.g., port No. 80, that uses a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Although a multi-functional apparatus with a network scan function has recently been developed, it is impossible to perform a scan job using the multi-functional apparatus unless a port for a network scan connection is held open by the firewall.